Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a stage system and in particular to a modular stage system having improved quick disconnect type mounting for legs at corners of each rectangular stage section.
Description of the Prior Art
Portable stages are utilized for creating a temporary raised stage surface. Generally rectangular stages may be joined in an edge-to-edge relationship to form an extended surface. Some stages may have adjustable legs that provide for height adjustment so that the stages may be combined for creating extending stage surfaces and be combined with stages of different heights to form raised surfaces at different heights and/or for creating a riser type configuration. The stages may be portable and some stages may have folding legs or removable legs for storage.
Permanent legs increase the footprint of the stage when stored and therefore such stages greatly increase the storage space required for a large stage system. However, it can be appreciated that removable legs and/or folding legs may have reduced stability and or capacity as compared to permanently mounted legs. To provide sufficient support for the heavier loads encountered by many stages, the legs cannot be mounted in a quick disconnect configuration. Moreover, the task of mounting and removing the legs can be laborious, time consuming and may require tools and mounting hardware that may be misplaced or lost. Properly aligning the legs with the stage may require special structures and may increase manufacturing costs and weight and time required for setting up and taking down portable stages.
It can therefore be seen that a new and improved temporary stage system is required. Such a stage system should provide for a quick connection and disconnection of each of the legs so that the stage may be disassembled when not in use. Moreover, such a leg support should be easy to manufacture and provide for securely mounting conventional straight legs in a sturdy and stable manner to safely support even heavy loads. Such a mounting system should avoid removable mounting hardware and be self-contained. The present invention addresses these as well as other problems associated with temporary portable stages and mounting removable legs.